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Who agrees with me here? There have been number of injuries when pitchers pitch inside and injures players like what happened to Nick Markakis for example. I say when pitcher hits batter and injures him he faces a 15 game suspension and an $15,000 fine. That would make pitchers be a little more careful pitching inside to hitters. Just like in the NFL if you use your helmet to make hits you get a big fine and an one game suspension from Mr Goodell. Just ask James Harrison will he do it again after he nailed that Browns QB last year?

Last edited by steve on October 29th, 2012, 3:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Pitching inside is part of every quality pitchers arsenal. Taking that away from them would be one of the worst moves the powers to be could think of making. Batters on the other hand, have a tendency to "Lean" over the plate to cover the outer half to also take that pitch away. The guessing location, the leaning, the lefty on lefty, and the ball running in caused the injury to Markakis to think otherwise would be falling into a conspiracy type theory. If CC wanted to hit Nick, he would have not thrown to an area that just a one inch of movement would have made him (CC) miss.

In the same vain of thought, how would you feel about rebuilding the mounds to there original dimensions (Height) and also allow the doctored ball (spitter, sandpaper, vaseline, etc...)to make a come back.

I agree with thezeros. Pitching inside IS an essential part of the game and almost an issue of self defense for the pitcher. It used to be that the pitcher owned BOTH sides of the plate and that the batter leaned out over it at their own risk. Now the batter seems to believe they have a divine right to crowd the plate and any pitcher that challenges that is committing a minor felony.

I also disagree with your football analogy. Spearing an opponent with your helmet is COMPLETELY different than hitting a batter with a baseball. Because the helmet is attached to the player it's like a guided missile and can be controlled until contact. A baseball is THROWN and travels 60' 6" until it arrives at the batter. In that distance it can move naturally or have been heading in the wrong direction from the moment it left the pitcher's hand; and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, it can't be controlled once it is thrown.

It's normally easy to determine if a football hit is intentional, but it's difficult to determine if most HBPs are intentional.

I agree that pitchers should be punished more severely for intentionally hitting a batter. If the pitcher takes credit for doing so or baseball rules that it was intentional then the suspension for a SP should be seven games and for a reliever either three or four. That would assure that they would miss at least one appearance, which would make the suspension meaningful.

You might disagree ok,, But pitch properly you can go for the inside the plate, But if you wish to but think about the consequences. If you hit the batter and injure him then you pay the fine and sit out for 15 games. Its like this if you can afford to pay the fine of breaking traffic laws on the road you just go right out and do it. But if you dont want to pay fines then obey the laws. So you can still pitch inside but you risk hitting the batter and possibly injure him. So theres a clean proper way to pitch the ball just like theres a proper way to tackle a player in football.

steve wrote:You might disagree ok,, But pitch properly you can go for the inside the plate if you wish but think about the consequences. If you hit the batter and injure him then you pay the fine and sit out for 15 games. Its like this if you can afford to pay the fine of breaking traffic laws on the road you just go right out and do it. But if you dont want to pay fines then obey the laws. So you cabn still pitch inside but you risk hitting the batter and possibly injure him. So theres a clean proper way to pitch the ball just like theres a proper way to tackle a player in football.

I'm sorry if I didn't clarify that I can't support punishing a player for actions that they did not intend. To take away the inside part of the plate for a pitcher would turn the game into a slow pitch softball league.

steve wrote:Well if they can discipline players in the NFL to get them to play the game right they can do it in Baseball too.

Football has no extension of items in the quest for tackles. Bodies and the armour that protects them. The armour is attached to the body. If the body goes on way the armour will be attached and follow.

In baseball the bat is not attached but held onto. So to keep it real, if a batter looses his bat he should be fined and suspended. If a pitcher looses control of a pitched ball he should be fined and suspended. If a base runner looses his helmet when running the bases he should be fined and suspended. When an outfielder leaps to catch a ball and his glove comes off he should be fined and suspended. You have to agree to all the above if you believe in what you are stating.

thezeroes wrote:Football has no extension of items in the quest for tackles. Bodies and the armour that protects them. The armour is attached to the body. If the body goes on way the armour will be attached and follow.

In baseball the bat is not attached but held onto. So to keep it real, if a batter looses his bat he should be fined and suspended. If a pitcher looses control of a pitched ball he should be fined and suspended. If a base runner looses his helmet when running the bases he should be fined and suspended. When an outfielder leaps to catch a ball and his glove comes off he should be fined and suspended. You have to agree to all the above if you believe in what you are stating.

Football is NOT Baseball

Those two things they already do when they strike out or a runner caught stealing. I see it often when player throws his bat and helmet. He should be ejected and fined. But umps do nothing. It even says it in the rulebook

steve wrote:Those two things they already do when they strike out or a runner caught stealing. I see it often when player throws his bat and helmet. He should be ejected and fined. But umps do nothing. It even says it in the rulebook

Players get fined for striking out and base runners get fined for caught stealing ??? Who knew.

Just like in the NFL you cant take off your helmet when youre on the field.. Refs screwed the Browns on that one when a player threw his helmet up the air a celebration with 4 seconds left after the kicker missed the field goal and later they re kicked after refs marked off an 15 yard penalty. Its the rules and refs and umps must enforce it. Read rule 9.01 (d)

(d) Each umpire has authority to disqualify any player, coach, manager or substitute for objecting to decisions or for unsportsmanlike conduct or language, and to eject such disqualified person from the playing field. If an umpire disqualifies a player while a play is in progress, the disqualification shall not take effect until no further action is possible in that play.